Erin Napier's Favorite Dish Is A Southern Comfort Food Classic (With A Ton Of Cheese)

For a media personality whose career centers on making homes feel comfy and familiar, it seems fitting that Erin Napier's favorite food dish embodies those same sentiments. It's not a fancy restaurant creation or trendy ingredient combination; the "Home Town" star's go-to for cozy eating is mac and cheese, the iconic dish that personifies the very concept of creamy comfort food. And judging by the way she and her husband, Ben Napier, describe making it, they aren't interested in skimping on its most important ingredient.

In  a video shared by HGTV regarding their "favorite dish," Erin and Ben share their love of home cooking and what HGTV calls the couple's "serious cheese problem." When discussing the keys to good mac and cheese, cooking in a crockpot seems a given, with some toss-out suggestions of dried mustard powder, evaporated milk, and Erin's tongue-in-cheek suggestion of "16 pounds of sharp cheddar." That massive mountain of cheese may be an exaggeration, but it clearly reveals an unapologetically cheesy version of this nostalgic American South dish.   

Mac and cheese isn't just a passing thought for Erin. In relating a typical day in the Napiers' lives, HGTV says that when filming leaves enough time for a sit-down lunch, the couple heads to Pearl's Diner in Laurel, Mississippi, for Erin's favorite dish — mac and cheese, of course. She's even used it as a metaphor for the cozy feeling she hopes "Home Town" provides. Asked by TV Insider why viewers connect with the show, she quipped, "It's mac and cheese. It's a comforting place to be." 

If Erin's favorite food has you craving an extra-cheesy bowl at home, Tasting Table's slow cooker mac and cheese recipe is an easy way to make that happen. Recipe developer Hayley MacLean skips cooking the pasta and cheese sauce separately, instead placing elbow macaroni directly into the slow cooker with whole milk, evaporated milk, butter, seasonings, and a pretty generous helping of cheese.

The recipe calls for 3 cups extra-sharp cheddar plus 1 cup American cheese, with MacLean explaining how the cheddar brings stronger flavor while American cheese adds extra creaminess. Like the Napier's version, it includes mustard powder and evaporated milk, but also things like paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and if you like a bit of heat, an optional quick dash of cayenne powder. The mixture cooks, mostly unattended, on low for about 1 to 1.5 hours, with just a stir every 30 minutes. There's no need for a separate pot of boiling pasta or a complicated béchamel sauce. 

For a dish Napier associates so strongly with comfort, an uncomplicated slow-cooker version feels just right. Plop the cooker straight on your dining table, or make one for community "family night suppers." As Ben revealed to It's A Southern Thing, mac and cheese is also one of the dishes Erin sometimes brings to cookouts. For more ways to keep things warm-and-fuzzy in your kitchen, check out Erin Napier's cozy and affordable backsplash alternative.